Chehalis Basin Fisheries Task Force
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Satsop Nutrient Enhancement
2004
was the first year for the Satsop Nutrient Enhancement Project. The
project's goal is to enhance nutrient levels of the West Fork Satsop River,
the Middle Fork Satsop River, and a number of their primary tributaries by
distributing fish carcasses in strategic areas. The intent is to
increase ocean-derived nutrients in areas of the basin with adult salmon.
Adding nutrients to aquatic environments or watersheds is needed to help
restore greatly depleted salmon runs in the Pacific Northwest.
Nitrogen and phosphorus are the key limiting nutrients.
For the year 2007, between the months of
October and December, 5,844 fish carcasses were distributed within the
Satsop River Watershed. The project was able to accomplish it's goals
in 2007 in part by a grant to the Grays Harbor Chapter Trout Unlimited from
the TU National Embrace-A-Stream program in the amount of $5,000.
The forklift shown at the right was made possible for this project in 2005 largely through a $22,917 grant awarded from the Community Salmon Fund, a joint effort between the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB). In addition, Green Diamond Resource Company donated $2,500 to put toward the purchase of a rotator for the forklift (see right, the rotator is what is turning the tote filled with fish into the back of the dump truck). With the support of the NFWF, SRFB, and Green Diamond Resource Co., the project was able to purchase a slightly used 5,000 lb. forklift and rotator with low hours, which will be used to move fish carcasses from totes to the back of the dump truck that is used for distribution.
Other equipment, such as wider wheels and flotation tires were purchased by a project that parallels the nutrient enhancement project, The Satsop Springs Rearing and Broodstocking Project. These items were purchased to increase forklift traction and maneuverability on the hatchery grounds.
Site Locations:
The West Fork and Middle Fork Satsop Rivers were chosen not only for nutrient need, but also because these tributaries to the Chehalis River versus other areas will not interfere with WDFW spawner surveys or samples of hatchery and wild salmonids. Of the tributaries to these rivers, the West Fork Satsop River is intended to receive fish carcasses on Little River, Canyon River, and on the West Fork at the Cougar-Smith Bridge. The Middle fork has been planned to place fish carcasses on Baker Creek; Rabbit Creek (by hand planting); Singer Creek; an unnamed tributary to the Middle Fork on the B870 Line, and on the Middle Fork near Baker Creek, near the Kelly Road Bridge, and near the Cougar-Smith Bridge.
The Satsop Nutrient Enhancement Project has been approved by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and will follow their protocols, guidelines and best management practices (see attached) for distributing salmonid carcasses to enhance stream productivity in the Satsop River drainage system.
It was estimated from a decade of escapement levels, for 2004 the Satsop River drainage system would reach between .05kg/m² and .1kg/m², far below the minimum of 1.9kg/m² needed to meet adequate, but not ideal spawning.
The largest portions of fish dispersed will be planted via a single axle 5 yard dump truck, with a lesser portion planted by hand in remote locations.
A quotation
by Haig-Brown:
The death of a salmon is a strange and wonderful thing, a great gesture of
abundance. Yet the dying salmon are not wasted. A whole natural economy is
built on their bodies. Bald eagles wait in the trees, bears hunt in the
shallows and along the banks, mink and marten and coons come nightly to the
feast. All through the winter mallards and mergansers feed in the eddies,
and in freshet time, the herring gulls come in to plunge down on the swifter
water and pick up the rotting drift. Caddis larvae and other carnivorous
insects crawl over the carcasses that are caught in the bottoms of the pools
or against the rocks in the eddies. The stream builds its fertility on this
death and readies itself to support a new generation of salmon.”